Peanut butter, pistachios, cookie dough, beef and dried milk. All of these foods were snatched off store shelves in recent months due to safety concerns.

Threats of salmonella and e. coli contaminaton forced the Food and Drug Administration to recall these items. The growing list of recalls has some consumers worried about food safety. Dr. Stephen Haering, Director of the Lord Fairfax Health District, says regulation is tighter to protect people from illness. "Awareness is heightened right now and we have a good safety network between the federal, state and local levels"

Consumers can't control how foods are packaged and processed, but you can control how it's handled and cooked at home. "It's really important to wash your hands after you use the restroom, before you cook and before you eat. While cooking, if you're handling raw meats, you should wash your hands and sanitize all the utensils after you've handled those raw meats," says Dr. Haering.

Storing, handling and cooking food properly is important to reduce risk of contracting food borne illness. Haering says the problem is widespread in the United States. According to Haering: "Every year in the United States about 76 million people suffer from food borne illness. Over 300,000 are hospitalized and up to 5,000 people die. It's a pretty big problem in the United States. It's a very common problem"

Food recalls are one piece of a process to regulate manufacturers and keep consumers safe.

For additional information on proper food handling and cooking to prevent the spread of food-borne illness, log on to befoodsafe.org.